[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Update: Mubarak asks his cabinet to resign. Yeah, that will solve it.

I am going to be honest, I have no idea what to make of what is happening in Egypt.  Of course as a general principle I am opposed to all dictators.  But are the rebels seeking freedom?  Will they follow the Iraq model when the dust settles, or the Iran model?

Only time can tell.  I guess I have to support the protesters.  Sic semper tyrannis and all that (it is the state motto, after all).  [UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I guess we have a difference of opinion on that, as the protestors are Islamists. As I understand it, they would end the quasi-peace with Israel and allow weapons to be smuggled into Gaza. So I have to disagree with Aaron here.] Still here are a ton of links on what is going on.  I am sure there are much, much more.  And please, post any links you like in the comments.

With Muslim Brotherhood Set to Join Egypt Protests, Religion’s Role May Grow.

Egypt sicks the military on its citizens. Rueters covers.  So does the AP/Al Jazeera.  People cheer… the army?  Al Arabiya says some police removed uniforms and joined protesters.

Video of violence in Egypt.

Cell phone service cut off.  (Would be terrorists are safe from splodyspam, I guess.)

Internet cut off.  (Mmm, you would tend to think they would at least give them access to porn and gaming sites, to keep them, ahem, occupied.)

Via Hot Air: Gibbs struggles to say nothing.  And big announcement coming?  Also generalized thread on the events.

Like I said, I have no clear idea what the heck is happening.  We might be about to see a revolution and in a good way, hopefully as bloodless a revolution as possible.

And exit question.  This seems to have spread from Tunisia.  Is there any chance of it spreading further?

Anyway, in a real open-source sort of way, sound off in the comments and let’s see if we can sort this thing out.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Yesterday, I ran a short post informing you that Rahm Emanuel had won in the Illinois Supreme Court, where they declared that he satisfied the state’s residency requirements and was therefore eligible to run for mayor.  Still, due to tons of snow and illness in my wife’s family, I couldn’t post any analysis.  Indeed, I hadn’t even read the opinion.  Previously I had said that I wasn’t convinced by the appellate court opinion.  Having read the state supreme court’s opinion, I am now convinced that the appellate court was wrong.  Rahm should be on the ballot.

Now let me start by saying that this has nothing to do with whether I want him to be Mayor of Chicago.  I do generally dislike this man for his never-waste-a-crisis schtick and his general association with Obama.  But that mild dislike for him is overwhelmed by my more significant sentiment that I just don’t care.  I don’t live there, after all.

What did hold me back from condemning the appellate court’s ruling was two things.  First, while I am a lawyer, I am not an Illinois lawyer, and I didn’t feel comfortable with the state of my knowledge on the subject.  Second, there was a more basic element.  Rahm’s theory of the law made it a pointless thing.  According to him, you could remain out of state for decades, and as long as you intended to return and live there permanently, you could say you were a “resident” of Chicago.  And if that was the case, why bother with a residency requirement at all?

This is not to say that the courts should be in the business of correcting the mistakes of the legislature.  If they write a stupid law, we have to live with it, until it is repealed (unless it is stupid in a way that also renders it unconstitutional).  But I do think it is reasonable in statutory construction to say that we should not render a law a nullity, or a virtual nullity, unless we are sure this is the right reading of the statute.

There are people complaining that it is ridiculous to read the term “resident” this way.  But in fact a large body of law says that this is the case.  As I wrote before:

(more…)

[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

As usual, you are positively encouraged to engage in sock puppetry in this thread. The usual rules apply.

Please, be sure to switch back to your regular handle when commenting on other threads. I have made that mistake myself, a lot.

And remember: the worst sin you can commit on this thread is not being funny.

—————————–

Also, for some random fun on a Friday, its about a week old, but the heck with it.  It’s Steampunk Palin.

And next to her is Robama (that is not a typo), and John McCain, who somehow has robot parts, too.  There’s also this:

Creepy? You betcha!

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]

Oh, sure, we hate spam.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been told I have won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes I never entered, or how there is this guy in Nigeria who really needs my help laundering his money.  As Kevin Butler tells you, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.  That’s how World War I got started.

But sometimes spam can save lives:

Black Widow attempted New Year Moscow attack but blew herself up by mistake

A “Black Widow” suicide bomber planned a terrorist attack in central Moscow on New Year’s Eve but was killed when an unexpected text message set off her bomb too early, according to Russian security sources.

The unnamed woman, who is thought to be part of the same group that struck Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on Monday, intended to detonate a suicide belt on a busy square near Red Square on New Year’s Eve in an attack that could have killed hundreds.

Security sources believe a spam message from her mobile phone operator wishing her a happy new year received just hours before the planned attack triggered her suicide belt, killing her but nobody else.

She was at her Moscow safe house at the time getting ready with two accomplices, both of whom survived and were seen fleeing the scene.

Islamist terrorists in Russia often use cheap unused mobile phones as detonators. The bomber’s handler, who is usually watching their charge, sends the bomber a text message in order to set off his or her explosive belt at the moment when it is thought they can inflict maximum casualties.

So come on folks, let’s all get together and sing… “spam, spam, spam…”

I plan to have a breakfast of Spam and pancakes in honor of everyone who died stupidly for terrorism.

H/t: William Jacobson, who imagines that Skynet Stuxnet is behind it.

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]